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Could you be suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency?

Fri, 1 September 2017

Could you be suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency?

Most of us who are tired just need a good night’s sleep but what if you were constantly tired? Well you could be suffering from a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin B12 is needed to maintain the nervous system and create red blood cells. It’s also needed to absorb folic acid and helps in the release of energy.

The main sources of the vitamin include meat fish and dairy products and as a result many vegans lack adequate amounts of B12 in their system. However it’s not just vegans who suffer from a deficiency in the vitamin, many people cannot absorb the nutrient either and the symptoms are less than ideal.

As the nutrient is helps in the release of energy, one of the main symptoms of a B12 deficiency is chronic fatigue.

Other signs you are lacking in vitamin B12 include, confusion or forgetfulness, diarrhoea, tingling in the fingers and toes, muscle weakness, pale skin and weight loss amongst others. Many of these symptoms can be frightening at first before diagnosis, but the problem can be easily detected and solved.

A B12 deficiency is easily treated with a course of vitamin injections and symptoms usually improve rapidly when treatment begins. Your doctor may also recommend having a top of injection of the vitamin every 3 months to prevent symptoms returning.